


recipe for disaster

by glacecherie



Series: for the days when we can do no wrong [1]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-10 23:28:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18418100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glacecherie/pseuds/glacecherie
Summary: "Yeah, I mean - I'm not gonna lie. The in love kind of love." Zach says, soft and sure.Willy's entire brain checks out."Oh fuck, thank you!" He splutters, letting out the breath he'd been holding. He feels a little like he's having an out of body experience where he can hear what he's saying and knows it's ridiculous, but is completely unable to prevent it, because seriously? Oh fuck, thank you? Really?





	recipe for disaster

It isn't that Willy is dumb. It's important to his pride that he clarifies that.

It isn't that he's dumb as much as he's surprised.

Okay, maybe surprised doesn't cover it. Surprise is opening a really cool unexpected present or watching a horror movie with jumpscares. Stuff that can be easily brushed off, moved on from.

Zach saying he loves him, on the other hand, calls for him to drop the entire bowl of breakfast ingredients he's holding onto the floor, nearly smashing his entire foot, because. That's. Unexpected and good and amazing and - holy shit.

There'd been no build up, no shred of evidence. Sure, Zach had stayed over, and they'd shared a bed (like always), and maybe he'd woken up as the little spoon, but that isn't - it's no different to usual. It's whatever, because Willy learnt to live with that months and months and, whoa. Actually more like a year ago. Huh.

Fuck.

What he means is that it doesn't matter. None of that changes how floored he is, because Zach just strolled into the kitchen looking soft and rumpled and bare chested under the borrowed fluffy bathrobe Willy's mama got him for Christmas and it's too short in the sleeves and fuck he needs to just. Actually breathe.

He knows he's gone full deer in the headlights, but he's dizzy and shocked. Also covered in flour, because yeah, he'd been planning to be super chill and make Zach pancakes from scratch even though his cooking ability, as described by his baby sister, was "a nice thought, but bad".

It's just difficult to say anything at all, and Zach is stood there looking panicked and slightly constipated, because the way in which he'd said it didn't leave much room for interpretation. He's said he's loved Willy before, but not that loaded.

He finds his voice, but not before making a strangled, hysterical noise.

"Like, love love?" He says, or more like squeaks. Mumbles. Squeakily mumbles.

Zach relaxes very slightly, a subtle untensing of his shoulders that a very shallow part of Willy thinks is delicious. Focus up, jesus.

He huffs a laugh, even panicked. Even doing something this big he's looking at Willy fondly and -

"Yeah, I mean - I'm not gonna lie. Yeah, that kind of love."

\- Yeah, Willy's entire brain checks out at that point.

"Oh fuck, thank you!" He splutters, letting out the breath he'd been holding. He feels a little like he's having an out of body experience where he can hear what he's saying and knows it's ridiculous, but is completely unable to prevent it, because seriously? Oh fuck, thank you? Really?

Zach blinks.

"Uh -"

"No! No, it's good, it's so good, because like? I've been trying to say, just - not with any words? I was going to make you pancakes? And I'm always the little spoon, right? So I thought maybe, and - and now I'm covered in flour?"

There's a beat of silence, maybe two, before Zach cracks up entirely.

"Holy shit, have I broken you?" He laughs, and it's hands down the most beautiful thing Willy has ever heard. He's also shaking slightly, because how the fuck is this happening.

"Shut up, I'm not done - how? How did you even do that, tell me I mean. I just thought -"

Zach walks towards him, and he looks so full of warmth, warmth for him specifically, that it suddenly feels like all the air got sucked from the room. Oh, so this is the bit where things get serious.

He gulps, jumping when Zach pushes his hair out of his face.

They're both stood in the flour now. It's everywhere. Willy's cleaning lady is going to get such a big tip.

"You just thought?"

"Fuck, don't make me continue that, man."

He's not sure where the lump in his throat came from.

Zach raises his eyebrows at him, and Willy is conflicted between going handsome handsome handsome and actually, y'know. Being an adult.

The latter wins out, because he's responsible. Or maybe just emotional.

"I just though it wasn't realistic, so I'd just -"

'Pine uselessly?"

"You're supposed to be nice to me now." Willy whines. "I mean, yes, but -"

Zach kisses him, a chaste thing that's maybe the softest thing he's ever felt. The hand that had tucked his hair behind his ear is stroking along his jaw. He could get fully lost in this, and the fact that he could, that he totally can do that makes him giddy.

He blinks his eyes open, and Zach is looking at him steadily with so much concentration and love it's like a tangible, physical thing.

"Holy fuck, you're gorgeous." Zach murmurs.

"Could say the same about you." Willy says, because it's more socially acceptable that the other thoughts he has that go like "oh my god your shoulders" and "bite me" and "if we didn't have half an hour until we need to leave and weren't covered in flour you could bend me over the counter and fuck me until I cried". Whatever, slow and steady or something.

Zach snorts.

"Fuck, I'm gonna have to put up with your attempts at being smooth now, huh? This is want being your boyfriend means?"

"Stop it and help me with this." Willy says, not at all flustering.

"You're going red again."

"Fuck off! You saying it makes it worse!"

"Duly noted." Zach snickers, and Willy smears flour across his face as he makes an abysmal attempt to scoop it up with an envelope and his hand.

"Boyfriend" He thinks distantly, stomach flipping. Zach said boyfriend.

Zach, who smacks him on the cheek just to leave a dusty handprint. This is who he's gone on. This man.

He leans in to kiss him again, longer this time, and feels himself shiver. Whatever mess there is can wait. He needs to just - say it back. He'd meant to, and it's pretty big, and now he's sure it'd be welcome -

"I love you." He says back.

He looks at how the sun is illuminating the kitchen, and the farce him trying to cook created, and the small, pleased smile Zach's doing that feels like he's never seen before. In the end, it's the easiest thing he's done.

**Author's Note:**

> A couple of people asked for the coda of Zach and Willy from part one, so here it is. Please let me know what you think, and thank you for reading! :3


End file.
